


Mistletoe, Reindeer and Ugly Sweaters

by Arvari



Category: The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Fluff, Falling In Love, Fluff, Kissing, Loki (Marvel) Does What He Wants, Lots of kissing, M/M, Mistletoe, Not Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie) Compliant, Tony Stark Does What He Wants, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, all the shit that happened since the original Avengers never happened, as it was always meant to be, basically not most of the MCU compliant, everyone is happy and no one was killed by a giant space raisin, just the original 6 living in the avengers tower
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-17
Updated: 2018-12-17
Packaged: 2019-09-20 16:04:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17025765
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Arvari/pseuds/Arvari
Summary: Maybe the Christmas was Clint’s idea. Or Bruce’s. They seemed to be the most likely candidates. Or maybe Cap. Probably not Natasha and definitely not Thor and Loki.The only thing Tony knew for sure was that one day, a branch of mistletoe appeared in the common area, on the ceiling near the kitchen door – aka the place where everyone had to pass underneath it to get a cup of fresh coffee. Well, everyone except Tony, who had his own private coffeemaker in his workshop and his apartment.Although it was, of course, Tony, who was the first to get caught beneath the mistletoe – and with none other than their resident God of Mischief.





	Mistletoe, Reindeer and Ugly Sweaters

**Author's Note:**

> I had this idea for a cute, fluffy Christmas FrostIron fic that just refused to go away. So I did what every sensible person would do - I wrote it down. Because is there anything better than FrostIron Christmas fluff? I seriously doubt it...

It all started with the mistletoe.

Well, technically, that wasn’t strictly true. It really started a few months ago, when Thor returned from Asgard, his evil little brother in tow, and announced that Loki was not, in fact, evil (maybe just _slightly_ evil, but the New York thing wasn’t entirely his fault, _believe me, friends_ ) and as a part of his punishment ( _not entirely his fault_ clearly meant _still a bit of his fault, must be punished, but not too much_ ) he would be living with the recently formed Avengers team in their brand new Avengers Tower.

Tony wasn’t sure if he was supposed to be offended by the fact that Thor’s father and the King of Asgard considered living in the Avengers Tower a _punishment_ , but then he decided not to be. For Loki, this situation meant living in a new, strange world, face his former enemies every day, be dependent on his brother’s (and Tony’s, because come on, who’s paying for everything here?) goodwill… Yeah, it was definitely a punishment.

Not as severe as, for example, being thrown into a prison cell for the rest of one’s life, but still definitely unpleasant.

At least that was what Tony had thought until he saw Loki adapting to his new life in about a month and wrapping the team – Tony included – around his finger even faster than that, regardless of the fact that he was acting like a little mischievous shit most of the time.

But back to the mistletoe.

It was the beginning of December, a few months after Thor and Loki’s arrival. December. The Avengers’ first Christmas. Even though Tony wasn’t exactly sure _whose_ idea it was to celebrate it in the first place.

Not his, that was for sure. Tony wasn’t very fond of Christmas, having lost his parents just a few days before it, many years ago.

Maybe the Christmas was Clint’s idea. Or Bruce’s. They seemed to be the most likely candidates. Or maybe Cap. Probably not Natasha and _definitely_ not Thor and Loki.

The only thing Tony knew for sure was that one day, a branch of mistletoe appeared in the common area, on the ceiling near the kitchen door – aka the place where _everyone_ had to pass underneath it to get a cup of fresh coffee. Well, everyone except Tony, who had his own private coffeemaker in his workshop _and_ his apartment.

Although it was, of course, Tony, who was the first to get caught beneath the mistletoe – and with none other than their resident God of Mischief.

It was quite an amusing situation, actually. Tony was on his way to the kitchen, Loki on his way out. Just as they were passing each other, they both heard Clint laugh hysterically. When they both turned to stare at him confusedly, the archer just pointed above their heads.

“What is the meaning of this thing?” Loki asked, frowning at the mistletoe as if it personally offended him.

“Uhm, it’s a… kind of a custom here,” Tony explained. “When you meet someone underneath the mistletoe, you have to kiss them.”

“Oh.” Loki frowned a little more. “Why?”

“I don’t really know,” Tony admitted. “But hey, we can just pretend this didn’t happen and-”

“No, you can’t,” Clint informed them. “Unless you want to get rid of the witness… Kiss.”

“Don’t tempt me,” Loki said.

“Hey, I don’t make the rules!”

Loki turned his head to Tony and lifted an eyebrow. Tony wasn’t sure if the question he was asking was _Will we?_ Or _Should I kill him or spare his life?_

“I’m fine with it, if you are,” Tony shrugged. “I mean… it doesn’t have to be a big and massive battle of tongues, does it? A little peck on the lips is fine.”

“As you wish.”

Loki bent down and pressed his lips (surprisingly soft, even though a little cold) to Tony’s for no more than a fraction of a second, then pulled back.

“Oh. Okay,” Tony blinked. “And look at you, you didn’t even stab me. I’m so proud of you.”

“Your Midgardian customs,” Loki muttered, “are really confusing, you know?”

“Yeah. Wait until you learn about ugly Christmas sweaters.”

 

It took Loki precisely two days to not only learn about ugly Christmas sweaters, but also to _purchase_ one.

When the god showed up for breakfast that day, Tony mentally scolded himself for ever mentioning the thing to him. Lord, Loki’s sweater _was_ ugly. It was green, with black ornaments and yellow…

“Those are reindeer,” Tony observed, while Clint was choking on a piece of his pancakes and Natasha was clearly silently considering whether she should save him or wait for him to save himself. Or watch him die, whatever.

“Thank you, I wouldn’t have known,” Loki replied, sitting down on the chair that had become, by some sort of a silent agreement, his.

“Why do you have reindeer on your sweater? Why do you even _have_ that sweater? And are those reindeer doing what I think they’re doing?”

“If you think they’re fucking, you’re absolutely right,” Loki grinned. “As for why I have it… Well, I should thank you for your recommendation. I read about those ugly Christmas sweaters you mentioned and I find them absolutely delightful. A piece of clothing _designed_ to look so awful that it brings a smile upon your face? That’s the most amazing thing I have seen on Midgard to this day.”

“You’re welcome, I guess,” Tony muttered. He couldn’t tear his gaze from the two reindeer on Loki’s chest. “Tell me, is it because I called you Reindeer Games?”

“Maybe,” Loki grinned. “But I also liked-”

“Stop right there!” Natasha yelled. “Cap! Thor! I see you!”

“And the mistletoe strikes again,” Tony laughed.

Cap and Thor, who were just returning from their sparring match in the gym, were standing below the dreaded little branch, faces even brighter red than Tony’s armor.

“I’d like to take back my words about your confusing Midgardian customs,” Loki said, grinning. “I am starting to _love_ them...”

 

The mistletoe had become the enemy of all the Avengers. For a bunch of superheroes who had recently saved the planet from an alien threat, they were surprisingly bad at avoiding a single little green branch on the ceiling.

It was just hanging at the worst possible place. It was natural for the team members to walk into the kitchen together or to pass each other in the door. The kitchen with the dining area was one of the most frequented rooms in the whole building. Whether they craved coffee, food or just a midnight snack, all the Avengers spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Hanging the mistletoe near the door was positively _vicious_.

And just because of that, the horrible thing managed to claim several victims every day.

A few examples:

Clint, in his usual morning zombie mode (half awake, half dead), was just shuffling into the kitchen. Tony, in his usual I-spent-all-night-working-in-the-lab-and-I-need-this-coffee-just-to-be-able-to-get-to-bed-otherwise-I-might-fall-asleep-in-the-middle-of-my-living-room zombie mode, had just walked out of it, holding a steaming mug in his hand. They passed each other a safe distance away from the dreaded mistletoe, but then Tony remembered he also wanted to have a cookie or two, so he turned around, walked back… And there it was, the horrible sound of an alarm. (Someone – no one knew who – managed to convince Jarvis to play the sound every time there was a new “mistletoe incident” and the AI took his new duty very seriously.) Clint looked at Tony. Tony sighed. Clint shrugged, grabbed Tony by the shoulders and brought their lips together in a passionate and very thorough french kiss. Tony blamed it on the lack of caffeine in the archer’s veins.

Only a few hours later, when Tony finally got some of that much needed sleep, he went to see if there was anything edible left in the fridge, only to run into Loki, who was just trying to steal the remaining half of a vegetarian pizza, that was undoubtedly left for Tony by his considerate team mates. When the not-so-considerate god saw Tony enter the kitchen, he tried to flee, taking the pizza box with him. One quick chase later, the alarm sounded again, but this time, Tony kind of welcomed it. The distraction was enough for him to steal his pizza back. And he got another amazingly soft peck on the lips. That wasn’t so bad, was it?

And about five minutes later, just as Tony was finishing his pizza (while Loki sulked, drinking coffee and eating a chocolate bar from Natasha’s hidden stash that everyone knew about, but pretended not to), Bruce walked out of the elevator, followed by Natasha.

The Black Widow was the only person in the group who hadn’t fallen into the trap yet. She came close on day three, when she nearly ran into Tony beneath the wretched branch, but in the very last moment, she saved her ass by an astonishing backflip, without spilling a single drop of the coffee she was holding. Tony felt a bit insulted (because come on, he was pretty handsome and a great kisser and Loki could confirm that Tony would never take advantage of the situation) and a whole lot more amazed.

Even now, he was sure she was staying a few steps behind Bruce only to make sure she wasn’t gonna have to kiss anyone. But then she saw the chocolate bar in Loki’s hand and started to walk a little faster, undoubtedly to scold the god.

She never got to the scolding. The sound of the alarm made her stop dead in her tracks.

“You have got to be fucking kidding me,” she growled.

Bruce looked at her wearily. “Just don’t stick your tongue in my mouth like your boyfriend did, please.”

“Tongue?” Tony murmured. “Our little birdie seems a little passionate about this game.”

“Yes,” Loki nodded, licking the rest of the chocolate from his fingers. “Very passionate.”

“Huh. You too?”

“Oh, yes. I was surprised, actually. I thought he still kind of wanted to make me his practice target, but I got from him the best kiss I’ve gotten during this whole… mistletoe thing.”

“I’m a bit offended here, Reindeer Games.”

“Are you? I guess you just have to try harder, then...”

 

The next time Loki met Tony underneath the mistletoe (and Tony would absolutely deny that it wasn’t accidental, it was completely accidental, he definitely wasn’t _waiting_ for Loki to come, no way), he didn’t get just the best kiss of the whole mistletoe thing, but probably one of the best kisses of his life. Or at least that was what Tony thought when he finally let Loki go and the god just gasped, opening those beautiful green eyes (and when did Tony start to consider them _beautiful_ , anyway?) and staring at Tony as if he was seeing him for the first time in his life.

“Right. That was fun,” Tony grinned. “Until next time, Lokes.”

 

To be absolutely clear, Loki and Tony had been friends for a few months. Tony was probably the very first Avenger (except Thor, of course) Loki got to his side. The inventor was cautious at first, yes, but the problem was – he _liked_ Loki. He had even liked him during the invasion – the sarcastic, annoying, witty diva was just the perfect match for him. When the Avengers managed to beat and arrest Loki, Tony even wished he could meet the god under any other circumstances, so they could become friends and spend their days snarking each other to death.

When he finally got the chance, he just couldn’t resist.

On top of being a sarcastic diva, Loki was also incredibly smart. He didn’t know much about science – having been from the culture when it was pretty much the same thing as magic – but he absorbed everything Tony explained to him like a fucking _sponge._ And he managed to find a connection between those new science facts and his own magic (which, as Tony learned, wasn’t just about waving your fingers and making things happen, oh, no) and that was simply _incredible_.

Pretty soon, he was spending as much time in the lab as Bruce did, and then even _more_ time than Bruce. He became almost essential to Tony’s work. He asked just the right questions. When he couldn’t understand a word Tony was saying, he just sat there and nodded and let Tony ramble on and on about his new theories. He was just the lab companion Tony needed. And when Loki started coming with his _own_ theories and ideas… Oh, boy, Tony felt like he was in heaven.

 

Almost two weeks had passed since the mistletoe appeared. It seemed that everyone finally remembered it’s there and started to avoid it like a plague. It had been a whole day since the last incident.

Tony wasn’t sure if he was glad for it or not. While he definitely didn’t want to risk having his mouth ravished by Clint again, he was kind of going to miss Loki’s soft, soft lips. Maybe he could fake forgetting a bit, just to get that smirking mouth on his again…

The elevator dinged and the very god Tony was just thinking about stepped into the lab and promptly froze.

Oh, right. The revenge. Tony forgot about that.

“What is the meaning of this, Stark?” the god growled.

“Stark? I thought you were calling me Anthony,” Tony grinned. “And what exactly do you mean by _this_? _This_ on my chest, that’s an ugly Iron Man Christmas sweater. Did you know they _made_ those? I saw it and I just couldn’t resist. And hey, it’s red and yellow and it kinda matches your black and green and-”

“I was talking about the ridiculous thing on your _head_ , you impossible mortal.”

“Reindeer antlers,” Tony said, his grin spreading even wider. “Don’t tell me you don’t recognize them, sweetie.”

“Is this meant to be a _joke_ , Stark?” Loki growled, stalking closer to Tony.

“I don’t know. Is it funny?”

“Your jokes seldom are.”

“You know what would be funny? If you came over here. I wanna show you something.”

Loki sighed, but did as he was told. Tony reached under the table and grabbed what he needed. He only had one chance, and even that might cost him his life, but he was willing to risk it.

When Loki was just inches away, Tony quickly raised his arms and placed another reindeer antler headband on Loki’s head. The raven-haired man just stared at Tony.

“Don’t tell me you just did what I think you just did,” he growled.

“I did,” Tony laughed. “And they look great on you. Reindeer Games.”

“I am going to eviscerate you, you annoying-”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever, they still look great on you. So keep them? For me? They match your sweater.”

“I hate you,” Loki growled.

“Pretty please?”

Loki sighed, closing his eyes. Tony won.

A few hours later, they walked out of the elevator on the common floor side by side. The second they stepped out of it, the alarm sounded, even though there was no one underneath the hated branch.

“Oh, hey, guys,” Natasha said from the couch. “You might wanna look up. Looks like we’ve been blessed with another piece of green Christmas bullshit.”

Both Tony and Loki raised their heads to the ceiling and yes, there it was. A brand new branch of mistletoe, quietly hanging above their heads.

“Who the fuck-” Tony started to say, but he was silenced by Loki’s lips on his own. And it wasn’t just a simple chaste kiss, oh, no. It was an even better version of the last one they shared underneath the _other_ mistletoe. It was passionate, it was awesome and it ended way too soon, leaving Tony absolutely breathless.

Loki smirked.

“Right. That was fun,” he muttered. “Until next time, _Anthony_.”

Tony felt his knees go weak.

 

The wretched things just kept coming. Every time the team adapted to a new branch of mistletoe (each one took them less and less time), another one appeared. And not just on the common floor, oh, no. They were _everywhere_. The gym. The swimming pool. The library. Even the lab. The one in the elevator was especially vicious. And it was fun to watch the team struggle with the ultimate question – is it worth taking an elevator together for a price of a kiss, or would it be better to ride separately?

Clint and Nat always arrived together. Nothing to be amazed about, considering they probably had to pretend to be married on at least a mission or two. Cap was always alone. True, it was a bit weird when Thor walked out of the elevator followed by _Loki_ , but hey, adopted. Also, a little shit for a brother. Thor probably stood no chance.

A day before Christmas Eve, The Avengers Tower was like a minefield, an intricate maze of safe zones and places where you should never step in – at least if you weren’t alone. Everyone had to learn to navigate it if they didn’t want to end up sharing a kiss with someone else every two minutes.

Tony and Loki were pretty good at the game now. They rarely had to kiss anyone – except each other. But only when no one was around. When there was another Avenger in the common area, they split before walking out of the elevator, following the safe paths, always checking the ceiling, just in case. When they were alone, it was a show of “oops I forgot”s and “I could swear I haven’t seen this one before”s.

They were doing it on purpose. Of course they were. Or at least Tony was.

Why was he doing it? Because he wanted it. No, he needed it. No, _craved_ it. To feel Loki’s soft, soft, _soft_ lips on his own (and not just _soft_ , but also skilled and tasting of coffee and chocolate), to have his fingers in Loki’s silky hair, to be pressed against that tall, _lean_ body, to hear Loki’s soft groans when Tony gave his lower lip a little bite, to hear the god gasp for breath and feel him lean in for more when the kiss ended…

It took him a few days to realize (and admit to himself) that he was falling for Loki, hard and fast. Sure, he had been falling ever since Loki showed up with Thor. He knew that. But he had been falling much _slower_. As if he had a parachute. But now his parachute was suddenly gone and he was free falling to the ground at an impossible speed, totally unable to avoid the inevitable.

And he wasn’t sure he _wanted_ to avoid it in the first place…

 

The common floor was deserted in the morning on Christmas Eve. Or at least that was what Tony thought when he went there (wearing his ugly sweater and reindeer antler headband, because hey, Christmas) to grab a late breakfast. He woke up late after spending the evening in his lab with Loki, working and kissing and then working and kissing some more. He went to bed well past midnight. He had a right to sleep in, right?

He was just passing underneath the original branch of mistletoe, when Loki suddenly walked out of the kitchen. And yes, he was also wearing the abomination he called a sweater and the antlers Tony had given him a few weeks back. There was a little piece of chocolate in the corner of his mouth, so he had been raiding Natasha’s hidden stash again. Tony felt a sudden need to lick it away.

“Morning,” he said instead, not allowing his body to move an inch.

“Good morning, Anthony,” Loki muttered.

His green eyes flickered to the mistletoe and back at Tony. The message was clear. _Should I take that one more step to you?_

And it was stupid, but Tony felt his chest suddenly go hollow. In a few days, Christmas would be over, the mistletoe probably gone. There would be no more excuses for their kissing and touching and gazing into each other’s eyes. Tony tried to imagine not kissing Loki ever again (or just until the next Christmas) and found out he couldn’t.

Loki took the step forward, apparently tired of waiting for the answer, and immediately pressed his lips to Tony’s.

The kiss was long, much longer than usual. It made Tony’s heart stop and beat faster almost at the same time. No, he couldn’t imagine a single day without kissing Loki like this.

He wasn’t falling, he had already fallen.

It was Tony who broke away, only to gaze at Loki, his pink lips, his beautiful green eyes, those stupid antlers on his raven hair.

“I don’t want this to end with Christmas,” he whispered.

“Good. Neither do I,” Loki said, smiling softly.

“And I don’t want to just kiss.”

“Good. Neither do I,” Loki repeated.

“I want you in my apartment and in my bed. Tonight, if that’s okay with you. After the dinner and the movie with the team.”

“There’s nothing I want more.”

Tony took a deep breath. There was one more thing on his mind and he wasn’t sure if he wanted to say it or not, but… Go big or go home, right?

“I love you, Reindeer Games,” he said.

Loki smiled at him, his real smile, not the sarcastic smirk he wore most of the time.

“I love you, too, Anthony,” he replied.

This time, it was Tony who brought their lips together, knowing he definitely wasn’t going to let go anytime soon.

Screw breakfast. The chocolate on Loki’s tongue was enough for the next few minutes.

 

Tony smiled, his hands caressing Loki’s wide, naked shoulders.

“God,” he whispered. “So this is what perfection feels like. Being fucked into oblivion by a Norse deity.”

“Why, thank you for recognizing my divine status,” the god above him laughed. “And yes. Perfection, indeed.”

“Mhm...” Tony muttered, feeling his eyes droop. “Remind me to thank Clint and Tash.”

“Clint and Natasha? Why?”

“For the mistletoe, of course. I’m pretty sure it was them. I mean, who else?”

Tony felt Loki’s lips on his neck. He moaned softly. Loki wasn’t trying to get him up again, it was just a little display of affection, but it felt _so good…_

“Right,” Loki murmured and Tony felt a shiver run down his spine. “Who could do such a _mischievous_ thing...”

Tony’s eyes flew open and he stared at Loki. Loki, who was now grinning from ear to ear.

“You have got to be kidding me,” he said. “You? It was _you_?! But how did you know about the mistletoe in the first place?!”

“Internet, Anthony. Internet.”

“You… idiot!” Tony yelled, shoving Loki, who only laughed and allowed himself to be pushed over on his back. Tony growled, sitting up and straddling Loki’s hips the next second. “You little shit. I had Clint’s tongue down my _throat_. I nearly had to kiss Cap. _Cap_. And I _had_ to kiss Bruce and your _brother_!”

“It’s not my problem that you sucked at this game,” Loki shrugged. “Would it help if I told you I am sorry?”

“Why?”

“Why… would it help?” Loki blinked.

“Why did you do it?”

“For fun, of course. It started as a little practical joke, just a bit of mischief. I wanted to keep it going for a week or two, then let the mistletoe disappear when everyone learns to avoid it, but then...”

“But then?” Tony prompted when Loki’s voice trailed off.

Loki smiled, raising his hand and stroking Tony’s mouth with his thumb.

“Then I became addicted to your lips. You can’t blame me, you’re a great kisser. And I kept wanting more and more, I couldn’t force myself to stop. I wanted your lips on mine everyday, several times a day, if possible.”

“Okay, that’s a pretty great excuse. You are absolutely forgiven.”

“And it _was_ fun to watch the rest of the team struggle, wasn’t it?”

“So much fun,” Tony grinned. Then he bent down to give Loki’s lips a soft kiss. “Merry Christmas, Lokes.”

“Merry Christmas,” Loki smiled. “My love.”


End file.
